Security operations centers (SOCs) must be better equipped to handle the scale of data to be monitored and the increasing sophistication of threatsSOC analysts face a daunting task: sifting through thousands of alerts each day – most of which are false positives – while quickly identifying and mitigating real threats.
Many organizations have turned to AI to ease the workload of their SOC analysts, but some cybersecurity professionals fear that one day AI will steal their jobs.
The strengths and limitations of AI
AI excels at data analysis, quickly processing large data sets to detect patterns that indicate malicious behavior. When specifically trained on cybersecurity data, it can streamline cybersecurity operations by automating routine tasks such as triaging alerts, analyzing logs, and performing vulnerability scans, saving human analysts valuable time and resources.
Despite these impressive assets, AI AI also has limitations. The most significant is the need for human oversight to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the information generated by AI. While AI can handle many basic inferences, it currently struggles to make complex contextual decisions, relying on human judgment to verify its findings and effectively interpret nuanced threat landscapes.
AI also can’t replicate the human strategic thinking needed for complex, process-driven decision-making and coordination with human stakeholders. For example, while it may be able to make generic recommendations about where to deploy network sensors, it can’t coordinate with the network team to choose the most efficient location for your organization or convince the network team of the ROI of that project.
The Promise of AI Augmentation in Cybersecurity
In my conversations with SOC leaders at various companies, I asked them how they would spend their budget and headcount if it tripled. Without exception, they all talked about how they could put resources to good use on high-impact projects. These projects ranged from improving overall visibility to rearchitecting applications and systems to preemptively address security risks.
This is where AI can help by freeing up your resources from routine tasks to focus on strategic, high-value work.
Additionally, 99.9% of businesses in the United States employ fewer than 2,000 people. Yet very few can afford the luxury of a comprehensive security program, such as a 24/7 SOC that covers security alerts and events across all of their systems.
AI can enable organizations to strengthen their defenses while optimizing their existing resources. For example, AI-powered solutions can automate routine activities such as alert triage, log analysis, and vulnerability scanning, allowing human analysts to allocate their time and expertise to more critical tasks such as threat hunting, incident response planning, and security architecture design.
AI SOC analysts act as tireless assistants who take on the heavy lifting, allowing human analysts to apply their expertise where it matters most. This creates a synergistic work environment that leverages the best of AI and human capabilities.
Changing roles in cybersecurity
As organizations adopt AI and become more efficient, there is concern that many existing analysts will become redundant. This ignores the core problem: SOCs are already overburdened and trying to keep up with existing analysts. alerts and sort them efficiently and in a timely manner.
Efficiency gains will help organizations keep pace, not eliminate roles. AI automation handles Tier 1 alerts, but humans still need to handle more complex alerts, which AI gives them the resources to do. Jobs won’t disappear, but job roles could change.
The world has already experienced similar changes.
When Microsoft introduced Excel in 1987, the number of Americans working as accountants grew from about 2 million in 1987 to just over 1.5 million in 2000. But at the same time, two new types of roles emerged:
Excel Specialist: As Excel adoption became more widespread, a new class of Excel professionals emerged with advanced data analysis and visualization skills. These skills enabled organizations to make strategic decisions.
Accounting and financial analysts: The commoditization of accounting through Excel has led to the demand for and diffusion of financial modeling and analysis, creating more intellectually interesting financial jobs. In fact, the number of Americans employed as accountants/auditors and financial analysts/managers has increased dramatically, from about 0.6 million in 1987 to about 1.5 million in 2000.
Just as Excel revolutionized financial analysis and created roles specialized in data analysis and visualization, AI will reshape the cybersecurity landscape and give rise to roles that leverage AI as a tool, becoming more efficient in the process.
These roles may include security automation specialists, who will play a critical role in ensuring the effective use of AI tools by providing expertise in fine-tuning algorithms and optimizing workflows to meet specific security objectives.
AI security engineers will be responsible for developing and deploying AI-powered security solutions, leveraging their mastery of AI technologies and cybersecurity principles to create robust and adaptive defense mechanisms.
Meanwhile, AI security researchers will drive innovation in the field by exploring new AI-based approaches to countering evolution cyber threatsby conducting in-depth analyses and developing cutting-edge solutions that help stay ahead of adversaries’ tactics.
As organizations integrate AI into their cybersecurity programs, demand for professionals with expertise in these specialized roles will increase, creating more jobs rather than eliminating them. Even those in Tier 3 security roles outside of AI, such as penetration testers and security architects, will see increased demand as organizational security improves through the use of AI.
Humanity is here to stay
Human expertise and judgment are irreplaceable assets in cybersecurity, ensuring that humanity remains an integral part of the SOC for the foreseeable future.
As technologies such as AI SOC analysts advance, they do not eclipse the need for human surveillance; instead, they create opportunities for cybersecurity professionals to engage in more meaningful, analytical, and creative problem-solving tasks. By automating mundane and repetitive tasks, AI enables humans to leverage their unique abilities in judgment, intuition, and ethical considerations—skills that are crucial for navigating complex and ambiguous threat environments.
This symbiotic relationship ensures that as we harness the power of AI, the value of human insight only grows, securing its place at the heart of cybersecurity strategies.
